After rain, Kasuga Mountains are folded in mist and look like an ink-wash painting.
Not yet landscapes are colored with autumn foliage, but a lot of autumn flowers are blooming.
I visited Gango-ji Temple, 元興寺 in Nara-machi.
Cluster amaryllis flowers and Jizo statues
I have seen the chief priest of this temple taking care of plants many times. Under summer sun, he was stubbing weed and watering flowers. Maybe, the seasonal flowers are the fruits of his affection and commitment to them.
Cluster amaryllis flowers are in bloom by stone pagodas and stone statues of Jizo Bodhisattva who is a guardian deity of people, particularly of children.
Although the bulbes of the flowers are toxic, how gorgeous but how serene the flowers are!! I am enchanted by their subtle elaborateness.
Bush clovers also are blooming in the temple.
"Nostalgic Autumn"(my related blog). photo was taken in September 2011 in Inabuch.
Last year, I visited Inabuchi, Asuka, Nara Prefecture.
How gorgeous the combination of the paddy fields and Cluster amaryllis flowers is!!.
Last year, I visited Inabuchi, Asuka, Nara Prefecture.
How gorgeous the combination of the paddy fields and Cluster amaryllis flowers is!!.
Nara Park is peaceful as usual.
posing with deer antler hair bands
Glory and Tragedy, tells you the history of this temple with blooming Harushagiku flowers or coreopsis.
In summer, Nara become Town of Prayers is about ""Obon(お盆)" and "Jizo-bon or Jizo-e " festival
Such a beautiful post and lovely captures for the day!! I love the flowers and colors! Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteAutumn has finally arrived! It is rainy and cool here today and I relish the pleasant weather! Your photos of Cluster amaryllis and bush clovers are so beautiful. The Hagi flowers at Gokurakubou are very famous and I really want to visit the temple at this time of year again. I've heard that the former chief priest of the temple passed away leaving a major mark in various fields, including the restoration works for the temple and its treasures. Really glad to know from this post that the present Rev. Tsujimura was taking care of the plants. Have a lovely week, Keiko-san!
ReplyDeleteいやぁ～なつかしや！元興寺極楽坊。なんか記事から秋の香りがこちらまで漂ってきます。
The amaryllis definitely look heavenly in your photos. I love how straight they stand in homage to the jizo statues. I think the deer are more tranquil than the young people - but they both look happy with what they're doing!
ReplyDeleteWow, those are stunning shots, i love both the macro and the wide angle shots. I haven't been to Japan but many of my friends are, in fact some are still there doing graduate studies. I have that Licorice radiata sent by my US blogger friend, i hope it can also flower in our hot climate. So far it is growing for a year already.Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteCluster amaryllis is, indeed, a special flower with toxic roots, leafless stems and shoots that look like legs of a dragonfly amid the delicate petals. I also like the headwear young people are wearing, I assume in honor of the deer roaming the park. Very cute!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos as usual. You really capture the beautiful essence of Nara.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. The red, elegant flowers make such a nice pop of colour against the grey stone. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL photos . . . Oh my, such a nice post!
ReplyDeleteWhat heavenly flowers! And your photos are glorious and peaceful as always.
ReplyDeletethe flowers lined along the rock statues are a delight. amazing photos.
ReplyDeleteHi,Snow white.
ReplyDeleteようやく秋らしくなりましたが、奈良公園も秋の風でいっぱいのようですね。元興寺のお地蔵さんのそばに咲き乱れる彼岸花は華やかに彩りを添えていますね。奈良公園の鹿達の影が美しい！
Have a great day!
Tomoko
A great post. From the cool mountain mists to the elegant stamen of the temple blooms to those long shadows in the deer park, Autumn is here and I love all the beauty it brings.
ReplyDeleteI'm alway so glad when you publish a new post...
ReplyDeleteCelestian flowers is a very well chosen expression : it describes so well those aerial flowers... The Jizo are very moving too.
I just love the two last pictures, the one with the deers is amazing, and the last one is so funny !
Loves from Brittany !
Such a wonderful post! The cluster amaryllis flowers look heavenly. I have bnever seen them here, but I know many girls named Manjusha!
ReplyDeleteI love the 'celestial flowers' the colour is so intense and gorgeous! Also really smiled at the deer antlers they were weating. Such an uplifting post. Minerva x
ReplyDeleteHello Keiko,
ReplyDeleteThis place feels really peaceful but that's how temples should be I guess.In the second photo,I love the way the flowers,stones and the moss are all leaning in the same direction......certainty a celestial congregation.....lovely images!
Good to see Nara Park function as usual,welcoming visitors to it's beauty.
Enjoy your week!
Ruby
Flowers are exquisite and your photography wonderful! ~ (A Creative Harbor)
ReplyDelete秋の元興寺も独特の趣がありますね。秋の陽を浴びて煌めく彼岸花。境内の奥行きを背景にした萩のたたずまい。素敵です。
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteyour photos are stunning and you consistently charm me with them and your words. I've never seen that amaryllis and it is enchanting. yes, celestial. I agree with you Keiko, every rain does make autumn deeper. very beautifully written. thank you for an uplifting post. happy week to you.
ReplyDeleteI love the contrast between the warm red higanbana and the cold grey stone. I hope I get a chance to go to the stunning higanbana park in Kinchakuda in Saitama, but it's a bit busy at work (new university semester). Oh well. If I can't go, at least I could enjoy the flowers in your photos! Thank you! ^^
ReplyDeleteWe call those bulbs spider lilies and they come up year after year no matter the weather from the bare ground and always during the same week. Your photos are lovely.
ReplyDeleteBises,
Genie
Here is the answer to your questions :
ReplyDeleteTarot game is exactly like a regular game ; there are four suits, but instead of them being Spade, Clubs, Heart and diamonds, in their modern shape with those colors red and black, they are sword, sticks, cups and coins, with no color defined. Tarot games are the previous version of our modern games of card. The value of the card are exactly the same : Ace to King, but there is one additionnal card by color, le Knight, outranking the valet. So the order is : ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Valet, Knight,Queen, King.
Tarot game used also 21 cards called major arcana, that represente various thing like the Magician, the Popesse, the Temperance, the world, etc.
You can find more about all that here :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot_of_Marseilles
My game is prettier than the original, but it has the same kind of illustration, and it can be used to read life (past, present and futur). I must confess I don't read much card for learning about my futur. It is more a pleasure, a way to discover the cards themselves.
Thanks for your interest,
Regards.
Tsuki,
DeleteThanks a lot for your detailed answer. The cards are not only beautiful but also interesting. I haven't picked up the cards in person. If I have chance to have them, I will see my future.
Thanks again.
keiko
A magical place. The beauty of those amaryllis flowers and the pictures of the deer peacefully grazing is wonderful to see!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful series of photographs this is.
ReplyDeleteI especially love the red flowers. i have never seen anything quite like them.
Have a wonderful evening!
It is really a bit of Paradise there where you live Keiko! The flowers are lovely and lacy and all those deer are just wonderful. The first photo really does look like an ink-wash painting -- soft and mysterious. I love it!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, snowwhite. Those flowers definitely look celestial and with them coupled with your beautiful narration, you do transport me to the heavenly world. Elegant and graceful in their poise, it seems like they are the messengers of the deity. Love those deers. I just cant get over their cuteness, they are so very well behaved and friendly. Thanks for yet another fascinating and peaceful journey, snowwhite! Wish you happy days ahead :)
ReplyDeleteこんばんは。最近白い彼岸花が話題になっていますが、奈良のお寺には、昔からの彼岸花が良くに似合いますね。この花は３倍体にもかかわらず、良く育ちますね。マクロの写真がとても魅力的です。
ReplyDelete私も東京にある、鎌倉時代の寺をブログに纏めました。
ReplyDeleteこんにちわ、snowwhiteさん。
ピンクと紅が混じったCluster amaryllis flowerの群生が素敵ですね。
奈良に咲く花は、どれも絵になって古都に溶け込んでいる感じがします。
それに、画面がとてもすっきりとしていて撮影の巧みさが景色を一層引き立てているようです。
良い週末を。
Keikoさん こんばんわ！
ReplyDelete紅色の曼珠沙華が背筋を伸ばして咲く季節となりましたね。
可愛らしい石仏に赤い蝋燭が灯されたようです。
そんな風景も気づかず？ 若い方々が無邪気にはしゃぐ様子。
そんな穏やかな秋の１日が過ごせれば、なにより幸せですね。
How beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend.
Regina
Wonderful harmonies of red and green, and different sizes and textures. This is what makes Japanese gardening so harmonious and attractive. I'm sure the priest feels glad when he sees how his work has paid off. I have never seen the Manjusaka flower before, even in florists' shops. If I could buy one, I certainly would, although it is nicer always to see flowers growing in the ground, than trapped in a pot.
ReplyDeleteもう萩や彼岸花のきせつなんですね。１０日程フランスに行ってる間に季節はかわったのですね。空気が少し冷たく感じます。元興寺は、花の種類が多いですね。いつもkeikoさんのブログで楽しませてもらっています。有難う。
ReplyDeleteMagnificent goods from you, man. I've be aware your stuff previous to and you are simply extremely excellent. I actually like what you've obtained right here,
ReplyDeletereally like what you're stating and the way in which by which you say it. You are making it entertaining and you still care for to stay it smart. I can't
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wonderful- so peaceful and beautiful! i was thinking what those statues were when i was visiting Japan- there is so many things to explore. lovely and great meanings. i love your blog this is so relaxing place :)
ReplyDeleteI visited a small cemetry with temple complex near Omori station at Ota-ku, Tokyo, after a workday in our subsidiary end of August. Because it was very hot hand humid, I was the only visitor except for the groundsman who watered the flowers ans plants. His old cat was sitting next to entrance in the shadow, waiting for people providing share of kindness and affection to it. Many of your photos remind me to this visit, because I saw a lot of stone statues and pagodas as well there.
ReplyDeleteUwe.